Sad to report that the “Ivory Queen Of Soul” Teena Marie has died at the age of 54 of what appears to be natural causes.
Marie made her debut on the legendary Motown label back in 1979, becoming one of the very few white acts to break the race barrier of the groundbreaking black-owned record label that had been a haven for black artists like Stevie Wonder, the Jackson Five, the Supremes and Marvin Gaye.
The New York Times obituary for Marie can be read here.